Anup Kumar is a former captain of the Indian men's Kabaddi team and one of the most influential players in the sport. Having led the team to numerous gold medals across various tournaments, Anup is considered to be one of the best Kabaddi players in the world. He is one of those players who made a name for himself well before the inception of Pro Kabaddi and had becoe a fan favorite as well.

Born in Parla, Haryana on 20 November 1983, Anup started playing Kabaddi since his childhood. Anup played various tournaments in his childhood and also during his college days. The raider caught the eye of Amarsingh Yadav who was the then coach for the CRPF Kabaddi team. Upon his suggestion, Anup joined the CRPF in 2005 and also secured a place in the Delhi Kabaddi team. He now works as a Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state of Haryana.

Anup Kumar International Career

Having played senior nationals and made a name for himself in other tournaments as well, Anup was selected to be a part of the team for the 2006 South Asian Games in Sri Lanka and won his first gold for the country then. The raider then remained a part of the Indian team and went on to win gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games as well as the 2014 Asian Games.

Due to his ability to pick up bonus points much easily than any other raider, Anup got the nickname 'Bonus Ka Badshah'. Using the benefit of his tall structure, Anup would swiftly cross the bonus line and make his way to his side of the court before anyone could get a chance to tackle him.

Anup rose to the position of vice-captain of the Indian team with his close friend Rakesh Kumar leading the team. It was certain that Anup would be the next skipper of the Indian team and it happened before the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati. Anup was handed the skipper band and he led the team to yet another gold medal after a thrilling final win against arch-rivals Pakistan. Following that, Anup was also named the skipper of the Indian team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad. Not only the Indian Kabaddi team went on to win the world title, but they also showed complete dominance over the other teams at the tournament. His calm attitude on the mat and the ability to perform under the pressure led to his fans calling him 'Captain Cool'. Although Anup's performance dipped in the later stage of his international career, his brilliant captaincy and ability to lead the team by example was something to look forward to always.

After having played for the Indian team for almost a decade, Anup announced his retirement from the international format. He decided to focus on his club career and left international Kabaddi soon after the world cup victory.

Anup Kumar Pro Kabaddi Career

When Pro Kabaddi came into existence in the year 2014, Anup was already a huge name in the sport. He was picked up by the Mumbai based franchise U Mumba and was swiftly appointed the captain of the team as well. With Anup Kumar as the captain and Ravi Shetty as a coach, the team of U Mumba had young players like Rishank Devadiga, Surender Nada, Mohit Chhillar, and Pawan Kumar Kadian. As a captain and as a player, Anup had a fantastic first season as he led the team to the finals in the inaugural edition of the league. Not only that, but Anup also went on to score 169 points, the most by any player that season and was named as the 'Most Valuable Player' of the season. He also led the charts of Super 10s, picking up 10 Super 10s from 16 matches.

He was retained by the team for the next season and yet again led the team to the finals. However, the results of the finals was different this year as U Mumba went on to win their maiden title after defeating Bengaluru Bulls in the finals. Anup was yet again the top-scoring player for his team with 81 raid points from just 14 matches. During Pro Kabaddi Season 3, Anup yet again led the team to the finals and became the only captain to lead a team to three consecutive finals in the league.

The fourth season of Pro Kabaddi saw a dip in Anup form and this was also the first time that U Mumba had not reached the finals of the tournament. However, he still remained the highest points scorer for his team with 82 points from 14 matches. In Pro Kabaddi Season 5, Anup became the first player to reach the 400-raid point mark in the league. He is one of the very few players who has played for one team for five consecutive seasons and also led the team.

Anup was released by U Mumba before the Pro Kabaddi Season 6 and was picked up by Jaipur Pink Panthers for a sum of Rs. 30 lakh at the auction. At PKL 2018, while Anup was announced the skipper of the team, his performance was on a decline along with the team's. Midseason, Anup announced his retirement from Kabaddi and hung his boots on 19 December 2018. However, he vowed to stay in touch with Kabaddi even after retirement.

Anup Kumar Coaching

Before Pro Kabaddi Season 7, Anup was named the coach of the Pune based Puneri Paltan franchise. His first year as a coach was not as expected as Pune finished on the third place from below with just seven wins from 22 matches.

Anup Kumar Awards

Anup has been conferred with numerous awards during and after his career. The highest honour was given to him by Government of India in 2012 when he received the Arjuna Award for his contributions in the field of Kabaddi in India.